Teaching German

Germany

German tractor driver mows down six speed cameras

One man's late night ride on his tractor could end up costing him big, after German police say he drove over six different speed cameras. Authorities estimated that the damages could run into hundreds of thousands.

Drivers in the small western German town of Gernsheim woke up to a curious sight on Tuesday, after six of the town's radar-trap speed cameras were uprooted and crushed the night before.

The tractor wasn't likely going fast enough to be caught on film by the speed camera

According to authorities, the man drove his tractor through the small town on Monday night and into early Tuesday morning appearing to target the speed cameras. Although the man was later released from police detention, the man's tractor was not. The vehicle was seized as evidence.

The late-night drive managed to cause hundreds of thousands of euros in damages, according to police estimates.

Speaking with German daily newspaper Bild, police spokesman Bernd Hochstädter said that alcohol was not a factor and that the man was likely not caught by the speed camera as the tractor "only reaches 6 km/h," or 3.7 mph.

An investigation into what motivated the speed camera attack continues, authorities said in a statement.